YouthQuest Gears Up for Summer

Registration is now open for YouthQuest’s summer enrichment program, which provides students in grades K-12 with a unique way to spend summer vacation.

“Summer YouthQuest is all about mitigating the ‘summer slide,’ which is a term used to describe the learning loss students experience while they’re out of school,” said Leslie Davis, director of Afterschool Education at Flint & Genesee Education & Talent, a division of Flint & Genesee Group. “We do this by offering engaging, hands-on activities and field trips that keep students curious and in a learning mindset.”

According to the Summer Learning Association, most students lose two months of mathematical skills every summer. However, the national nonprofit reports that elementary school students who regularly attend summer learning programs experience benefits in both math and reading.

During the summer, YouthQuest offers high-quality activities and services that encourage student voice and choice while promoting academic achievement, physical fitness, enrichment and volunteerism. At the middle and high school levels, the program offers Summer on the Road, which offers engaging club-based activities, college tours and field trips.

This year, YouthQuest’s summer program is available to students at International Academy of Flint, Flint Cultural Center Academy and South Bendle Academy. Additionally, YouthQuest will be providing support to Flint Community Schools, which is hosting its own Summer Learning Experience Programs this year.

For details about your student’s site, see below.

FLINT CULTURAL CENTER ACADEMY (FCCA)

YouthQuest’s summer program at Flint Cultural Center Academy is scheduled July 11-Aug. 4. The program will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Registration is currently full. To be added to the site’s waiting list, contact Site Team Leader Brook Borrow.

Limited spaces are still available for FCCA’s Summer on the Road program for students in grades 6-7. To register, contact Site Team Leader Cassie Fortelka.

INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF FLINT (IAF)

YouthQuest is teaming up with International Academy of Flint and Flint Community Education Initiative for IAF Summer Academy, which will be held July 11 to Aug. 11. Together, the programs will offer academic, enrichment, wellness and physical activities Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

For IAF students in grades K-5, students will participate in themed weeks covering everything from superheroes and nature to sports and water.  Families who prefer a shorter day will also have the option to select YouthQuest’s elementary program as an ala carte option. To register, click here.*

The high school program will offer credit recovery and summer school. Once students complete the academic element of their day, they will participate in YouthQuest’s Summer on the Road program. To register, click here. Please note that Summer on the Road is also open to middle school students, although students in grades 6-8 should use the K-8 registration form.

SOUTH BENDLE ELEMENTARY

For South Bendle students in grades K-2, YouthQuest is scheduled for June 13-July 28. The program will run Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. No program is scheduled for the week of July 4.

To register for the South Bendle program, please contact Site Team Leader Jordan Kleinedler.

YouthQuest is administered by the Genesee Area Focus Fund, a supporting organization of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.